Clothes-pounder.



PATENTED SEPT. 27, 1904. I. N. HOLLINGSWOBJTH. I

CLOTHES POUNDER.

APPLIIOATIGR nun ms. 10, 1904.

-N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented September 27, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

THIRDS TO EDWIN R. (JROOKER, OF LAUDERDALE,

MISSISSIPPI, AND

FERNAND A. BROUSSARD, OF CARENCRO, LOUISIAN CLOTHES-PQUNDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 771,015, dated September 27, 1904. Application filed February 10, 1904. Serial No. 193,006. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IsAAo N. HOLLINGS- WORTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Terry, in the county of Hinds and State of Mississippi, have invented a new and useful Olothes-Pounder, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to clothes-pounders,

and has for its objects to produce a simple eflicient device of this character which in practice will upon the downstroke force or expel through the clothes streams or currents of water and suds of successively-decreasing diameters and will upon the upstroke draw through the clothes streams or currents of successively-increasing diameters, thereby thoroughly cleansing the fabric under treatment; one in which said currents will be forced or drawn in direct lines symmetrical with the direction of movement of the pounder, and one in which the upward suction will be gradually broken, thus permitting of the device gradually releasing the fabric.

To these ends the invention comprises the novel features of construction and combination of parts more fully hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of a pounder embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same.

Referring to the drawings, designates an outer shell, preferably of conical form and having downwardly-divergent walls, there being disposed within the shell and attached to the upper endthereof a centrally-depending tubular sleeve 11, designed to receive the lower end of an operating-handle 12, which extends through and terminates adjacent to the lower end of the sleeve.

Arranged within the primary shell 10 is a series of secondary shells 13, attached at their upper ends in some suitable manner to the inner face of the shell 10, these inner shells, which are preferably of annular form in crosssection and have parallel vertical walls, being disposed in planes vertically one above another and of successively-decreasing diameters from the lowermost outer shell to the uppermost inner shell, whereby the lower open ends or mouths of the latter will present within the body a series of concentric circles of gradually-diminishing diameters and will terminate in planes successively remote from the lower end or mouth of the body or shell 10. Attention is here directed to the fact that the inner shells produce within the outer shell a series of concentric chambers having upwardly-convergent closed ends formed by the sides of the bodylO and that in practice upon the downstroke of the pounder air is compressed in said chambers and forced through the fabric under treatment in streams or jets of successively-diminishing diameters, owing to the mouths of the shells 13 coming successively into contact with the fabric, while upon the upstroke of the pounder a reversal of this action will follow and streams or jets of successively-increasing diameters will be drawn upward through the fabric, owing to the shells in such order successively breaking contact with the fabric. It is further to be noted that because of the uppermost and smaller shell first passing out of contact with the fabric upon the upstroke and the remaining shells in successive order of their sizes the suction created by the device will be gradually diminished or broken, thereby insuring a gradual release of the fabric.

The upper shell 13 is held firmly in place and braced by vertical webs or blades 14:, extending between the shell and the adjacent wall of the sleeve 11, there being preferably four of the webs arranged at diametrically opposite points,-while the lowermost shell or ring 13 is braced at a pair of opposite points by hollow braces 15, constituting air-ducts which communicate with the interior of the said ring adjacent to its lower end through air passages or openings 16 and with the external atmosphere at a point adjacent to the upper end of'the lowermost ring 13 by passages or openings 17, formed through the wallof the shell or body 10. In practice as the pounder rises air will first enter through the openings 17 into the ducts 15 and thence through the openings 16 for completely breaking the previously formed vacuum and causing the pounder to properly release the fabric.

The central sleeve 11 has an outwardlyflared or conical mouth depending below the terminal of handle 12 and serving, in conjunction with the latter, to produce a small central air-chamber 18, which terminates at its lower end slightly below the plane of the mouth of the upper shell 13.

From the foregoing it is apparent that I produce a comparatively simple device which is admirably adapted for the attainment of the ends in view, it being understood that minor changes in the details herein set forth may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A clothes-pounder comprising an outer shell having downwardly-diverging walls and a plurality of inner tubular shells having normally vertical parallel walls, the inner shells being disposed in planes vertically one above another and of successively-increasing diameters from the uppermost to the lowermost shell and having their lower ends open and their upper ends wholly closed by the inclined walls of the outer shell.

2. A clothes-pounder comprising an outer conical shell and a series of inner concentric tubular shells having normally vertical parallel walls, the inner shells being disposed in planes vertically one above another and of 

